Going Down in Flames

But entertaining us all the while!

Northern Michigan Elects ‘Christian-Buddhist’ Bishop

The [Episcopal] Diocese of Northern Michigan elected the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as bishop Feb. 21 at a special diocesan convention.

Fr. Forrester, the only candidate on the slate, was elected on the first ballot, receiving 88 percent of delegate votes and 91 percent of congregational votes, according to a diocesan news release.

The bishop-elect has served the diocese since 2001 as its ministry development coordinator and more recently as rector of St. Paul’s Church, Marquette, and St. John’s, Negaunee.

The announcement of Fr. Forrester’s nomination sparked controversy last month because he is also a practicing Buddhist and said he had received Buddhist “lay ordination” and was “walking the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism together.”

By receiving Buddhist "lay ordination," Bishop-to-be Forrester might simply be investing in job insurance. With its membership hemorrhaging the Episcopal Church may well be out of business in a few years, forcing him to find another line of work.